The foregoing lines belong to Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the memorable poet of our National Anthem that we, Turkey, recite with pride at each occasion. The profile of devoted, self-sacrificial and brave men depicted in these lines is I think the best description we can have of the heroic volunteers of the Free Gaza Movement, nine of whom we have lost to the heinous and cowardly attack Israel carried out in international waters, breaching even the most basic human, moral and legal principles.Because, they had set out to alleviate the sufferings of the innocent Palestinians who have been disconnected from the world for three-and-a-half years and who were left to the mercy of a dehumanized, racist and fascist Israeli government, as witnessed by about 6 billion people around the world. Because they cared about the pain and sorrow of 1.4 million innocent Palestinians who have been trying to survive in the face of poverty, misery and an Israeli tyranny that does not discriminate between men, women and children. Because they felt the pain of the bleeding wound of Palestine deep inside their hearts and did not say, “Never mind,” in the face of all the potential disasters that may cause them to suffer and the threats of the Israeli government, which is obsessed with slaughtering people and which has inflicted tragedy on whosoever it touches.
They flocked to the makeshift vessels with chocolates, toys, foodstuffs and all the basic supplies they could gather, and they moved with the unparalleled determination, faith in a rightful cause and trust in God with which David faced Goliath. To broach the inhumane Israeli embargo against the Palestinian people, they risked their most precious asset -- i.e., their lives -- to this end. These self-sacrificial, gallant people who forwent their own peace in a world where Palestinian children cannot experience peace saved human dignity from the humiliation stemming from the dirt and darkness of insane massacres and the indescribable tyrannies of Israeli soldiers, and gave it the proper treatment it deserves. In other words, they did what the great poet Akif had described: “I do not say ‘Never mind,’ but I do care / I uphold what is right even if I am downtrodden or hindered.”
Deserving of the accolades of humanity, 700 volunteers from 33 countries -- including people from diverse religions and cultures, all united under the common denominators of humanity, compassion, mercy and conscience -- have become the roaring cannon of humanity’s conscience, which has been bleeding silently in the face of Israel’s oppression and tyranny. These 700 brave hearts that represent the world’s aching conscience beat like one heart and turned into a giant hammer that fell upon the head of the current cruel and fascist Israeli administration that has been haunting the oppressed Jewish race, whose unique tragedies, such as the Holocaust, we still share.
I must state with the utmost clarity that humanity owes its profound gratitude and great thanks to these people. They have risked their lives and rushed to afford protection and mercy to these dispossessed people who are being oppressed by the unlawful, inhumane and immoral pressures of the Israeli government, which has made tyranny a policy without alternatives. We must hail without hesitation and with exuberant glorification the lesson of humanness that these 700 heroic volunteers taught us as representatives of the consciences of 6 billion people in the world.
In the face of this magnificent epic of humanity, we must not let ourselves be distracted by the soulless polemics of those who trap themselves in the dark labyrinths of their own unscrupulousness or who hide themselves behind their own cowardice or indifference in the shady atmosphere of buts or what-ifs.
We must glorify these heroes who saved the dignity of humanity from being trodden upon by the oppressors and who risked their lives for this -- nine of whom were martyred and more than 30 of whom were wounded. I know that we will celebrate each of them with rightful pride; such men and women give us reason to be dignified. We will continue to coronate these heroes, paying no heed at all to the futile propaganda and vile lies of Israel as it attempts to influence the world. I advise the citizens of the remaining 32 countries to be proud of their brave and undaunted heroes and pay them due respect and gratitude. May God have mercy on the nine martyrs. I offer condolences to their relatives and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Of course, I hail the brave representatives of human dignity who determinedly set sail from Ireland heading toward Gaza despite the carnage and unbelievable ferocity of the cowardly violence perpetrated by the Israeli government on unarmed civilian volunteers in international waters. Our hearts are with you...
